Method for producing furniture bodies and furniture body

ABSTRACT

A process for producing structures includes: cutting a transverse groove in a panel; introducing a plastic material into the groove; applying an imprint to the panel; cutting V-shaped grooves in the panel and folding the panel to form a structure. The plastic material is initially free-flowing and subsequently solidifying. The plastic material forms a hinge which may be flush with the panel or project beyond the panel.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of furniture andmore specifically to a process for producing basic furniture structuresand basic furniture structures.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the process for producing furniture structures the startingworkpieces used are panels which already have the respectively desireddecoration on the subsequently external side. The decoration is part ofa cover layer which is applied to the carrier material of the panels.Suitable for this purpose, in particular, are chipboard panels which arelaminated on their outer sides with cover layers in whichdecoration-carrying paper is incorporated on the outer side.

It is also known for installable furniture parts, such as moldings,which likewise consist of wood or wood-like materials, to be providedwith a decorative imprint. Such a process has not been envisaged upuntil now in the production of basic furniture structures because, upuntil now, the practice has been to refrain from leaving the film hingeswhich are necessary in basic structures for the sheet-folding process,along the basic-structure corner edges, at a subsequently visiblelocation. Moreover, a basic furniture structure is a voluminous bodywhich, for the purpose of being provided with printing all the wayaround its outer sides, involves a considerable level of outlay.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a process forproducing basic furniture structures.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a basic furniturestructure.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention willappear more clearly hereinafter.

In accordance with the present invention there is presented a processfor providing basic furniture structures in which the starting panel,which is usually planar and processed in the flat state, may be providedwith a colored print on one side or both sides more easily than afinished basic furniture structure. A film hinge, which has its outerside located in an exposed manner both on the outer side of the paneland on the outer corner edges of the basic furniture structure, has thesame decoration printed over it. With the same basic color as that onthe adjacent outer sides of the basic-structure sides, it is possible toconceal the presence of the film hinge. The cross-sectionallyrectangular or square basic furniture structure still has to beseparately joined together, and if appropriate provided with printingalong its fourth corner edge, but the decorative imprint is alreadyfinished on all four basic-structure sides, and the three further corneredges, before the sheet-folding operation. In addition, the processaccording to the invention allows particularly straightforward storageof the starting panels, which are required just in a basic color. It isonly during the production operation, namely during processing of therespective starting panel, that the respectively desired decoration isapplied by printing. It is thus also possible to provide for thestarting panels considerably more straightforward cover layers withoutincorporated decorative paper.

The invention also results in a basic furniture structure produced bythe above-mentioned process.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other important objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed description of the invention taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic end view of a basic furniture structure;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of two adjacent basic-structure sides of thebasic furniture structure according to FIG. 1 before the foldingoperation;

FIG. 3 shows a side view, corresponding to FIG. 2 of two basic-structuresides with a different configuration of the connecting film hinge; and

FIG. 4 shows a schematic side view of a processing station for thestarting panel, which forms the sides of the basic structure accordingto FIG. 1 in which a colored imprint is applied.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the drawings wherein like reference numbers designatecorresponding parts throughout there is shown in FIGS. 1-4 a basicfurniture structure, made according to the present invention.

The basic furniture structure illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises firstmutually opposite basic-structure sides 1 a and second mutually oppositebasic-structure sides 1 b, which supplement one another to form across-sectionally square or rectangular basic structure. Thebasic-structure sides 1 a and 1 b are connected to one another at thecorners via miters or miter surfaces 2; in this case, the miter angle is45° in relation to the 90° angle of the adjacent basic-structure sides 1a and 1 b. The basic structure has corner edges 3 runningperpendicularly to the plane of the illustration, a film hinge 4 beinglocated on three of these corner edges 3, with the film hinge consistingof an elastic material and being bent, with the result that its bentouter side provides a rounding along the respective corner edge 3. Amaterial which is similar to, or the same as, that of the film hinges 4is introduced in the region of the fourth corner edge 3 of the basicfurniture structure in order to achieve, along this fourth corner edge3, the same aesthetic appearance as on the other three corner edges 3.

The basic-structure sides 1 a and 1 b, and thus the entire basicfurniture structure all the way round, have outer sides 5 which have animprint 6 in the form of a surface decoration. This imprint 6 extendsbeyond the curved outer sides of the film hinges 4. With acorrespondingly adapted basic color of the outer sides 5 of thebasic-structure sides 1 a and 1 b, it is thus possible, for example, forthe basic furniture structure to be given an appearance which reproduceswood coloring and texture. In this way, it is possible to imitate anydesired type of wood, and any other decoration is likewise possible, asis provided, in particular, for such basic furniture structures as areused for kitchen furniture. In the same way as the outer sides 5, it isalso possible, in principle, for the inner sides 7 of thebasic-structure sides 1 a and 1 b to be coated with a colored imprint.

The basic furniture structure according to FIG. 1 is joined together bythe so-called sheet-folding process, in which the four basic-structuresides are preferably formed from a single starting panel 1, a section ofwhich is represented in FIGS. 2 and 3. At those locations at which thecorner edges 3 of the finished basic furniture structure are to beformed subsequently by the folding operation, those strips of anelastically flexible material which constitute the film hinges 4 areapplied to the outer side 5 of the panel 1 in the transverse direction.In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2, for this purpose, firstof all a groove 9 has been cut transversely into the panel 1 at therespective hinge location, from the outer side 5, and a suitable plasticmaterial is injected or poured into said groove 9, this plastic materialinitially having the necessary bending properties, but being capable ofsolidifying fully in the long term. In the exemplary embodimentaccording to FIG. 3, the plastic material forming the film hinge 4 isapplied to the outer side 5 of the panel 1. The plastic material thusinitially projects in a somewhat raised manner, although, as a result ofthe expansion occurring during the subsequent folding operation, this isof secondary importance.

Once the film hinges 4 have been provided, cross-sectionally v-shapedgrooves 8 are milled into the panel 1 from the inner side 7, whichsubsequently forms the inner sides of the basic-structure sides 1 a and1 b,said grooves extending, by way of their vertex, as far as the outerside 5 of the panel 1, which subsequently forms the outer sides of thebasic-structure sides 1 a and 1 b,or as far as the respective film hinge4. With the finished basic furniture structure in the form of arectangle or square, the v-angle of these grooves 8 is 90°. As a resultof the cut-in v-grooves 8, the panel 1 is then already subdivided intothe basic-structure sides 1 a and 1 b, the groove flank 2 a whichbelongs to one basic-structure side 1 a in each case, and the grooveflank 2 b, which belongs to the other basic-structure side 1 b,formingthe miter surfaces 2. During the folding operation, the respectivelyadjacent parts, forming the basic-structure sides 1 a and 1 b,of thepanel 1 are pivoted through 90° the v-grooves 8 being closed in theprocess, whereupon the groove flanks 2 a and 2 b are located congruentlyone upon the other to form the miters 2.

Once the film hinges 4 have been provided, and before the v-grooves 8are milled into the panel 1, a decorative imprint 6 is applied to theouter side 5 of the panel 1, said imprint extending beyond the outersides of the film hinges 4, with the result that the outer sides of thefilm hinges 4 are thus provided with printing in the same way as theouter side 5 of the panel 1.

The specific way in which this is done is shown in FIG. 4. The panel 1is preferably guided continuously past a station at which it has astamping sheet 10 temporarily laid beneath it. The stamping sheet 10 isdrawn off from a supply roll 11 and, on the side which comes intocontact with the panel 1, bears a color coating 12 which, as isillustrated in FIG. 4, is applied to the outer side 5 of the panel 1over and beyond the outer sides of the film hinges 4. It is alsopossible, in principle, for the inner side 7 of the panel 1 to be coatedin the same way. The color coating 12 consequently forms, on the outerside 5, the continuous uninterrupted decorative imprint 6 extendingbeyond the outer sides of the film hinges 4. Pressure-exerting rollers13 are used to press the stamping sheet, which runs along synchronouslywith the panel 1, onto the outer side 5, and the used-up stamping sheet10, which has transferred its color coating 12, is wound up on a reel14. It is thus only once the film hinges 4 have been provided that thepanel 1 is surface-finished by transfer of the decorative color coating12, before the v-grooves 8 are milled in, and the folding operation isthen carried out in order to form the finished basic furniturestructure.

The foregoing specific embodiments of the present invention as set forthin the specification herein are for illustrative purposes only. Variousdeviations and modifications may be made within the spirit and scope ofthis invention without departing from the main theme thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A process for producing furniture structurescomprising the steps of: providing a flat panel having an outer side andan inner side; cutting a transverse groove into the panel from saidouter side; introducing a plastic material into said transverse grooveso as to form a film hinge having an outer side; applying an imprint tosaid outer side of said panel and to said outer side of said film hingewhile said panel is still flat so as to form a continuous uninterruptedimprint on said outer side of said panel and said outer side of saidfilm hinge while said panel is still flat; cutting cross-sectionallyv-shaped grooves into said starting panel from said inner side with saidgroove having a vertex extending to said outer side of said panel; andfolding said panel to close said v-shaped grooves.
 2. The process forproducing furniture structures as claimed in claim 1 following said stepof applying an imprint to said outer side further comprising the stepof: applying an imprint to said inner side of said panel.
 3. The processfor producing furniture structures as claimed in claim 1 in which saidstep of applying an imprint to said outer side comprises: applying adecorative imprint to said outer side.
 4. The process for producingfurniture structures as claimed in claim 1 in which said flat panelfurther comprises a colored cover layer disposed on said outer side. 5.The process for producing furniture structures as claimed in claim 1 inwhich said flat panel further comprises a colored cover layer disposedon said inner side.
 6. The process for producing furniture structures asclaimed in claim 1 in which said plastic material comprises:free-flowing subsequently solidifying material.
 7. The process forproducing furniture structures as claimed in claim 1 in which said stepof applying an imprint to said outer side further comprises the stepsof: providing a stamping sheet having a color coating; and transferringsaid color coating from said stamping sheet to said outer side.
 8. Theprocess for producing furniture structures as claimed in claim 1 inwhich said step of applying an imprint to said outer side furthercomprises the steps of: providing a stamping sheet having a colorcoating; and transferring said color coating from said stamping sheet tosaid inner side.
 9. The process for producing furniture structures asclaimed in claim 1 in which said step of introducing a plastic materialfurther comprises the step of: injecting a plastic material into saidtransverse groove.
 10. The process for producing furniture structures asclaimed in claim 1 in which said step of introducing a plastic materialfurther comprises the step of: pouring a plastic material into saidtransverse groove.
 11. The process for producing furniture structures asclaimed in claim 1 in which said step of introducing a plastic materialinto said transverse groove further comprises: introducing said plasticmaterial into said transverse groove with said plastic material disposedflush with said outer side of said panel.
 12. The process for producingfurniture structures as claimed in claim 11 in which said step ofintroducing a plastic material into said transverse groove furthercomprises: introducing said plastic material into said transverse groovewith said plastic material disposed projecting beyond said outer side ofsaid panel.
 13. A basic furniture structure comprising: at least twoside members, with said side members each having an outer surface, withsaid side members each having a miter surface and with said side membersdisposed adjoined one another via said miter surfaces thereby forming acorner edge; a film hinge disposed extending along said corner edge,with said film hinge disposed bent around said corner edge, and withsaid film hinge having an outer surface; and an imprint covering saidouter surfaces of said side members and covering said outer surface ofsaid film hinge so as to form a continuous uninterrupted imprint on saidouter surfaces of said side members and said outer surface of said filmhinge.
 14. The basic furniture structure as claimed in claim 13 whereinsaid film hinge is disposed in a surface-flush manner relative to saidouter surfaces of said first and said second side members.
 15. The basicfurniture structure as claimed in claim 13 wherein said film hinge isdisposed in a raised manner relative to said first and said second sidemembers.